JP2009511777A - Sewage device and method of using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

  The apparatus for reusing sewage includes a water supply port for supplying sewage, a collection container for collecting the supplied sewage, a storage container for storing water, and siphon means for siphoning water from the storage container to the storage tank. And a water discharge port for discharging stored water to a water use destination, a sewage outlet, and a control system. The present invention further includes a step of supplying water to the collection container, a step of detecting a predetermined water level of the collection container, and a step of operating a filling port in accordance with the detected water level in the method of pumping water through a siphon. , And siphoning water from a collection container to a storage tank via a siphon connection.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sewage apparatus and a method of using the same.

  Various energy standards have been created by government agencies to avoid using the environment. One of them is the energy performance standard (EPS), which indicates the energy efficiency of a new residence by the so-called energy performance factor (EPC). EPC shows the energy consumption of a building against the same reference building described in the standard (for Dutch residential and residential buildings, currently NEN 5128/2001). This EPC is calculated on the basis of building characteristics (insulation values of walls, floors, glass, etc.) and equipment (eg solar collector, ventilator, heater). The smaller the number, the greater the energy efficiency of the building. Thus, the energy performance factor (EPC) can be regarded as a measure for the (average) energy quality of the building including the technical equipment. The EPC level is defined in the Building Standards Act in the form of minimum EPC requirements and is set to 0.8 as of January 1, 2006. All new buildings must comply with this maximum allowable EPC.

  The energy consumption is determined based on the energy consumption of heating, hot water from the faucet, pump, cooling, fan, and lighting, although there are other factors. If a newly built house does not achieve an EPC of 0.8, additional means such as solar panels and / or triple glazing must be applied, significantly increasing the construction cost of the house. means.

  One way to effectively use energy and the environment is to reuse lightly polluted water. Instead of tap water treated with considerable effort and high cost in a sewage purification plant, unpurified non-potable water can be used for some applications, for example, toilet cleaning. The use of collected rainwater, lightly contaminated bath water and shower water can be envisaged and these are referred to as sewage. As a result of this water saving, the stress in the sewage installation is reduced proportionally.

  Using relatively warm sewage has other positive effects on the energy performance factor (EPC). There is a reduction in the “cold source” that normally occurs when cold tap water is supplied to and stored in a reservoir. The system itself also has a good effect on EPC in the form of heat generation.

Dutch Patent No. NL1011317 describes a sewage reservoir having a sewage supply port and a drain port connected to a sewage destination such as a toilet. This container includes an outlet connected to the sewer pipe and a valve opened at regular intervals by a time clock. Regular disposal of sewage can prevent unpleasant odors from occurring.
Dutch patent No. NL1011317

  The object of the present invention is to improve a sewage device of the aforementioned type, in particular to make it more compact and / or more effective.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the invention provides:
In the sewage system,
A water supply port for supplying sewage,
A collection container for collecting the supplied sewage;
A storage container for storing water;
Siphon means for mechanically siphoning water from the storage container to the storage tank;
A water outlet for discharging stored water to a water user;
A sewage outlet,
An apparatus having a control system is provided.

  The advantage of the preferred embodiment is that no additional energy is required by applying mechanical siphon means that operate based on gravity. This allows the device to be purchased and maintained at low cost on the one hand, and inexpensive to use and energy efficient on the other hand. Does not require electrical energy. This is suitable for the environment. This eliminates the need for other expensive energy saving means such as insulating glass and / or solar panels.

An overflow port connected to a bypass pipe for diverting water to the sewage outlet is disposed above the collection container. Water discharged through the overflow port and the bypass pipe is collected by siphon means. The siphon means
A siphon connection that siphons water from the collection container to the storage tank;
A filling valve;
Comprising receiving means for receiving the supplied sewage,
The receiving means is connected to the filling valve.

  The connection between the receiving means and the valve can be made mechanically or electrically.

  Separation is recommended because sewage from bath and shower water is lightly contaminated. The present invention preferably applies the principle of separation based on the difference in specific gravity between water and contaminants present in the water. Accordingly, a siphon connection for pumping water from the collection container to the storage tank is disposed at approximately the center of the collection container disposed substantially vertically.

  It may happen that the water users connected to the sewage system do not require stored sewage. In order to enable the supply of water in these situations, the storage tank is preferably provided with a tap water supply port for filling the storage tank with tap water.

  In order to prevent unpleasant odors and eg Legionella and to allow all pollutants accumulated in the device to be discharged regularly and / or in response to the user, the sewage device according to the invention is a control device. It is preferable to provide drainage means for discharging sewage by control.

  At least one cleaning device is preferably arranged to allow cleaning of the sewage device. In a preferred embodiment, the water supplied by the tap water supply port is used by this cleaning device.

  In a further preferred embodiment, an additional device is arranged to add additives such as disinfectants, cleaning agents or fragrances to the water.

  In a further preferred embodiment, the sewage device is housed in a support frame. The advantage of this embodiment is that a module that can be installed in a relatively short time by the installer is provided.

  In yet another preferred embodiment, the reservoir can be integrated into the support frame. For example, it is energetically favorable to arrange the heat exchanger in a water tank and / or a collection container or storage tank.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4 supplies a collection container 2, a storage tank 4, an overflow port 6 with a scooping device 8, a bypass pipe 10, a siphon tube 12 connecting the collection container and the storage tank, and sewage. A supply pipe 14, a discharge pipe for discharging water to a water use destination such as a toilet 16, a driving means in the form of a receiving container 18 having an arm that rotates around a shaft 20 and has a weight 22, and a filling valve 26 It consists of a control unit (ECU) 43 that can be connected to system components together with plunger rod 24, drain valve 28, venting devices 30, 32, sewage outlets 34, sensors and actuators to perform user-dependent operations. .

  FIG. 1 shows the resting state of a sewage device according to the invention, in which the collection container is partially filled with water. Lightly contaminated water is generated when using a shower or bath. Instead of eliminating this water directly into sewage, according to the present invention, the water is collected in the collection container 2 via the supply port 14, and the collection container 2 is filled with sewage. By closing both the drain valve 28 and the filling valve 26, when the sewage is supplied through the supply port 14, the water level of the collection container 2 rises.

  Sewage collected directly from baths and showers contains contaminants such as soap residues, skin and hair fragments, thereby making the form of separation or filtration desirable. A separation principle based on the difference in density or specific gravity between water and contaminants present in the water is applied.

An overflow port 6 is provided on the upper side of the collection container 2, where sewage passes through the bypass pipe 10 in the direction of the drive means having the receiving container 18 and the plunger rod 24, although there are other parts in the illustrated embodiment. Spills through. For example, a _pollutant having a lower density than water such as soap residue (ρ _pollutant <ρ _water ) floats and is drained along with the sewage through the overflow port 6 and the bypass pipe 10 in the direction of the driving means. A skimmer 8 is arranged to skim these contaminants in the direction of the bypass pipe 10 in order to prevent them from floating upward.

Heavy contaminants, such as sand residues, having a density greater than water (ρ _pollutants <ρ _water ) are collected by sinking to the bottom of the collection container 2.

  Since light contaminants float and heavy contaminants sink, the cleanest water is located approximately in the middle of the collection container 2, that is, between the top and bottom.

  The water flowing out through the overflow port 6 and the bypass pipe 10 at the upper part of the collection container 2 is received by the receiving container 18 (FIG. 2). The receiving container 18 is arranged asymmetrically on the shaft 20. By compensating this asymmetry with a suitable weight distribution such as arm and weight 22, for example, the receiving container 18 is balanced so as to face almost horizontally in an empty state. When the receiving vessel 18 is filled with water supplied via the bypass pipe 10, the balance is disturbed as a result of the asymmetric configuration and this imbalance, and the receiving vessel 18 begins to tilt (FIG. 3). Due to this inclination, the receiving container 18 moves a transmission member, for example in the form of a plunger rod 24, for example by means of its arm. The filling valve 26 is opened by the movement of the plunger rod 24. Here, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, for example, a sensor for detecting the movement of the receiving container 18 can be arranged to electrically operate the filling valve 26. It should be noted for the sake of completeness that such sensors can also be placed in other suitable locations, such as the bypass tube 10. Here, this sensor can detect water overflowing to the bypass pipe via the overflow port 6. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various features are further elucidated in FIG. 5, where a sensor 7 is disposed. The sensor 7 is connected to the control device 43 via the wiring 9, and the control device excites the coil 25 arranged around the plunger rod 24 via the wiring 11 by the signal received from the sensor 7. .

  Prior to opening the filling valve, the balance between the air pressure and the water pressure above the water level is won in the storage tank 4. Since the collection container 2 is filled and the water level of the collection container 2 rises above the water level of the storage tank 4, the water pressure in the storage tank 4 increases. As a result, the air present above the water level in the storage tank 4 is compressed to some extent. Through the opening of the filling valve 26, the air pressure in the storage tank 4 decreases to atmospheric pressure. As a result, the balance of force between the air and water in the storage tank 4 is disturbed, and the water is siphoned from the collection container 2 via the siphon tube 12 to the storage tank 4. Thereby, the water level of the collection container 2 falls and the water level of the storage tank 4 rises.

  When the receiving container 18 is inclined and the filling valve 26 is opened by the plunger rod 24, the receiving container 18 is drained. As a result, the imbalance disappears and the receiving container 18 returns to its equilibrium position and is oriented almost horizontally.

  As soon as sewage is supplied through the supply port 14, the water level of the collection container 2 rises until water flows again through the overflow port 6 of the collection container 2 and through the bypass pipe 10 to the receiving container 18. Thereby, the receiving container 18 inclines again. As a result, the filling valve 26 is opened and, as will be described repeatedly, the storage tank is pulsatingly filled until the water level of the storage tank 4 and the collection container 2 reach the same water level.

  The system is drained periodically to discharge pollutants and prevent the odor discomfort that occurs when sewage is stored in the system for an extended period of time. Precipitated contaminants located at the bottom of the collection container 2 are periodically discharged by opening the drain valve 28 on the lower side of the collection container 2 and opening the upper ventilation devices 30 and 32 (FIG. 4). . Thereby, the stored water disappears into the sewage through the sewage outlet 34 together with all the pollutants. A control device (eco-play control device (ECU)) controls this drainage according to parameters such as the passage of time since the last filling. When the power is shut off, the sewage present in the system is drained as a final action, for example to prevent Legionella, and then the system is filled with normal tap water. The tap water supply port 38 is arranged for this purpose.

  Furthermore, when a very small amount of sewage is supplied, the tap water supply port 38 can be provided continuously so as to meet the demand of a water use destination such as a toilet.

  In a further preferred embodiment, tap water supplied via the tap water supply port 38 can be sprayed onto the wall of the collection container 2. Limestone that may be present can be removed by opening drain valve 28, preferably during or after spraying.

  In a further preferred embodiment, the sewage device is housed in a support frame 40 that can be installed easily and quickly by the installer. The entire module can be mounted on the wall with a number of expansion bolts, for example. The supply and drainage conduits must then be installed using, for example, clamp joints. An example of the dimensions of such a module is a height of about 2.6 m and a width of about 0.9 m. This module is preferably implemented so that these dimensions can be easily corrected. In yet another preferred embodiment, the water reservoir 42 is integrated into the support frame 40.

  The invention further comprises a method of siphoning water in the sewage apparatus.

  While these are preferred embodiments of the present invention, the foregoing embodiments are intended to illustrate the present invention and in no way limit the specification of the invention. The right to seek is defined in the claims, and many modifications are anticipated within that scope.

The schematic of the rest state of the sewage apparatus by this invention is shown. Schematic of the sewage apparatus shown in FIG. 1 when sewage is supplied. The schematic of the sewage apparatus shown in FIG. 1 when a collection container is satisfy | filled with sewage. Schematic of the sewage apparatus shown in FIG. 1 when the system is drained. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Collection container 4 Storage tank 6 Overflow port 8 Scraper 10 Bypass pipe 12 Siphon tube 14 Supply pipe 16 Toilet 18 Receiving container 20 Shaft 22 Weight 24 Plunger rod 26 Filling valve 28 Drain valve 30, 32 Ventilation device 34 Sewage outlet 38 Tap water supply port 40 Support frame 43 Control device

Claims (21)

In a device that reuses sewage,
A water supply port for supplying sewage,
A collection container for collecting the supplied sewage;
A storage container for storing water;
Siphon means for siphoning water from the storage container into the storage tank;
A water outlet for discharging stored water to a water user;
A sewage outlet,
A device having a control system. An overflow port disposed on the upper side of the collection container;
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a bypass pipe that delivers water to the sewage outlet. The siphon means is
A siphon connection that siphons water from the collection container to the storage tank;
A filling valve;
Comprising receiving means for receiving the supplied sewage,
The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receiving means is connected to the filling valve.   4. A device according to claim 3, wherein a mechanical moving member is provided for connection between the receiving means and the valve.   4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the connection between the receiving means and the valve is electrical.   The apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the siphon means is arranged at a substantially central portion of a collection container arranged substantially vertically.   7. A device according to any of claims 3-6, wherein the receiving means has an asymmetric shape. A sensor for detecting the water level of the collection container;
The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the siphon means can be controlled by the control device in accordance with a water level detected by the sensor. A sensor for detecting water in the bypass pipe;
The device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the siphon means can be controlled by the control device in accordance with a water level detected by the sensor.   The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the collection container further has a tap water supply port for filling the collection container with tap water.   The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a drainage means is provided for draining dirty water under the control of the control apparatus.   12. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one cleaning device is arranged to clean the device.   The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the cleaning apparatus uses water supplied from the tap water supply port.   The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a support frame.   The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a water tank disposed on the support frame. In the method of siphoning water,
Supplying water to the collection container;
Detecting a predetermined water level of the collection container;
Activating a filling valve in response to the detected water level;
Siphoning water from the collection container to the storage tank via a siphon connection. Overflowing water at the upper overflow port when the collection container is filled;
Detecting water overflowing at the overflow port;
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising actuating a filling valve in response to the detected overflow water. Guiding the water coming through the overflow port to the receiving means via the bypass conduit;
Moving the receiving means when the receiving means is filled with water,
The method of claim 16, wherein the filling valve is activated in response to movement of the receiving means.   The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the water level is detected by a sensor, and the filling valve is electrically operated in accordance with water detected by the sensor.   18. The method according to claim 17, wherein water overflowing at the overflow port is detected by a sensor, and the filling valve is electrically operated according to the overflow water detected by the sensor.   21. A method according to any of claims 16-20, utilizing an apparatus according to any of claims 1-15.

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